Apparatus for automatically loading coal-bins.



'J. W. WORTHAM.

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY LOADING GOAL BINS.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 9, 1912.

Patnted Dec. 30, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

glvwmtoz COLUMBIA PLANQGRA'PH co.,wAs1-nNuToN, D c.

J. W. WORTHAM.

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY LOADING COAL BINS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 9, 1912.

1,083,042, Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

4 SHEETS-sum 2.

J. w. WORTHAM. APEARATUS FOB. AUTOMATICALLY LOADING GOAL BINS.

APPLIGYATION FILED AUG. 9, 1912.

1,083,042 Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0.. WASHINGTON. u. c

' um/Mow J. W. WORTHAM. APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY LOADING GOAL BINS.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 9, 1912.

83,942. l atented Dec. 30, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

um/M01 COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO.,WASHINOTON, D. c.

JOHN W. WORTHAM, 0F DECATUR, ALABAMA.

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY LOADING COAL-BINS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30,1913.

Application filed August 9, 1912. Serial No. 714,228.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN W. WORTHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Decatur, in the county of Morgan and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Aw tomatically Loading Coal-Bins, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for automatically loading coal bins, and one of the principal objects of the invention is to provide reliable and eflicient means for elevating or hoisting coal from a hopper and discharging the coal automatically into the bins, the apparatus being actuated by a moving locomotive arriving at the coaling station to be supplied with coal.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus for automatically loading elevated coal bins from which coal is to be discharged into locomotive tenders and to provide means whereby the bins are supplied with a quantity of coal slightly in excess of the quantityto be discharged into the tender of the locomotive used for actuating the elevating mechanism. The invention may also be utilized for loading coal carts or wagons and for other purposes.

These and other objects may be accomplished by means of the apparatus shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of an apparatus made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of the hoisting bucket, the doors being shown open in dotted lines. Fig. 5 is a view in elevation of the bins showing the means of operating the doors. Fig. 6 is a similar view of the hopper. Fig. 7 is a detail view of the same. Fig. 8 is a detail view of the retarder. Fig. 9 is a detail view of the cable carrier. 10 is a detail view of the same.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a supply hopper placed in a pit under the ground, and at one side of the hopper is a pivoted discharge spout and door 2. The supply hopper receives coal from dumping cars, and the pit in which the hopper 1 is placed is extended to form an elevator shaft for a hoisting bucket 3, having a cam projection 4: on one side thereof which operates the combined discharge spout and door 2. As the bucket descends the cam 4 opens the door and throws the spout down in position to discharge coal into the bucket. As the bucket ascends the cam carries the spout upward and closes the door.

The bucket 3 is provided with an inclined bottom 5, and said bucket at its sides has brackets 6 through which the vertical guide rods pass. The lower ends of the guide rods 7 are secured to a frame 8, while the upper ends are secured to a triangular frame comprising bars 8, 9, and 10. The doors ll of the bucket are pivoted at their upper ends at 12, and connected tosaid doors are diverging bars 13 which come into contact with the bars 8 and 9 when the bucket is elevated to open the doors 11 and discharge the contents from the inclined bottom 5 into the coal bins 14c, properly supported on a suitable frame 15. Connected to the top of the bucket 3 is a cable 16, said cable being led over grooved pulleys l7 and 18 on the triangular frame and thence extends downward to a retarding device or governor. This device comprises a drum 19, around which the cable is wound several times, and rigidly connected to one end of the drum is a shaft, 20, while at the opposite end is a rigidly connected shaft 21. These shafts are screw threaded at their outer ends and fitted into interiorly screw threaded dash pots 22, 23. The dash pots are adapted to contain a non-compressible liquid. A pipe 25 communicates at its ends with the dash pots, said pipe having a check valve 26 therein, and a by-pass 27 spanning the valve. A regulation valve 28 is provided for the by-pass. The purpose of this retarder is to impede the rapid descent of the bucket 3 after it has discharged its load, and its operation will be hereinafter described.

From the retarder the cable 16 extends under a grooved pulley 29 and thence between a pair of similar pulleys 30 mounted at one side of a guide way 31, comprising a pair of spaced guide rails 32. The end of the cable 16 is connected to a cable carrier 33, provided with grooved pulleys 34 adapted to run between the rails 32. Pivotally mounted on the carrier 33, is an arm or lever 35. An angular bracket 36 connected to the carrier 33 is provided with a pivoted latch 37 which is normally in engagement with the notch 39 in the arm 35. When in this position, the arm 35 extends across the guide way 31 and into the path of a locomotive on the track 40. At the opposite ends of the guide way 31 a trip 1-1 is located to disengage the latch from the arm 85, and to permit the locomotive to move the arm into alinement with the guide way 31.

The bins are provided with discharge spouts and sliding doors, and from the bins coal is to be discharged into the tenders or into wagons for delivery.

The operation of the invention may be briefly described as follows: When an engineer gives a signal that he is in need of coal the attendant at the eoaling station sets the arm or lever 35 across the track and the latch 37 holds the arm in this position until the locomotive coming from either direction pushes the lever and the cable carrier 33 to elevate the hoisting bucket 3 which has been loaded from the hopper 1. As the bucket ascends, the cam l raises the spout and closes the door 2. After the contents of the bucket are discharged into the bins 1A,

- starting point by the weight of the descending bucketf To impede the rapid descent of the bucket the cable 16 rotates the drum 19 and turns the shaft 21 into the dash pot 23, forcing the liquid therein into the pipe 25 and closing the check valve 26, and permitting only a small quantity of the liquid to pass through the bypass 27 to the opposite side of the valve 26. hen the drum 19 is rotated in the opposite direction during the ascent of the loaded bucket, the shaft 20 turns in the dash pot 22 and forces the liquid freely through the pipe 25, without re sistance.

The arm or lever 35 may be operated by means of a pinion 41* on the lower end of a shaft to, extending through a platform 43, by an attendant who will turn the hand wheel 44-, after pushing the shaft down to connect the pinion an with a cog wheel as on theextended pivot of the lever 35.

It will be obvious that the bucket may be discharged directly into a locomotive tender or vehicle, and in some cases this would be a desirable arrangement.

As shown in Fig. 7, the spout 2 of the hopper has an inclined bottom, and the door 2 is pivoted in said bottom. A sliding latch 2 extends through the bottom of the hopper, and is provided with a curved portion 2 at the lower end, while the upper end is pivoted to the door 2. A projection 2 engages the front wall of the slot 2 when the door 2 is in its uppermost position. When the cam t strikes the projecting end of the curved portion 2, the projection 2 is pushed backward and the latch drops through the slot 2 and lets the door 2 down into a slot 2 in the bucket. As the bucket rises, the bottom wall of the slot 2 raises the door 2 until the projection 2 on the latch engages the front wall of the slot 2 to hold the door I claim:

1. In an apparatus of the character described, a hopper, a hoisting bucket, a cable connected to the bucket, a cable carrier to which the cable is connected, an arm pivoted to the carrier, a latch for holding the arm in the path of a moving element and a trip for disengaging the latch.

2. An automatic loader comprising a bucket provided with pivoted doors, inclined bars extending from the doors, means for loading and elevating the bucket, coal bins, means for moving the inclined bars to open the doors of the bucket to discharge its contents into the bins, a cable carrier, an arm pivoted thereto, a guide way for said car rier, a latch for said arm, and a trip to disengage said latch from said arm.

3. An automatic loader, comprising a bucket, a cable connected to said bucket, a carrier for said cable, and a retarder for governing the descent of the bucket, said retarder comprising a drum, shafts carried by the drum, dash pots in which the ends of the shafts are disposed, a pipe connected to said dash pots, a check valve in said pipe, and a by-pass connected to said pipe and spanning the valve. y

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. lVORTHAM. .lVitnesses:

JOHN L. FLETCHER, M. E. SHAW."

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C. 

